The Australian Government has been criticised by the WWF and the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) for failing to address concerns over the reef.

UNESCO demanded Australia commit to decisive action in June to protect the world’s largest coral reef from a gas and mining boom, or risk it being put on its list of sites under threat.

The deadline for Canberra to show how it would meet targets to improve management and protection of the reef was Friday.This week, the WWF and the AMCS used a scorecard to assess the government’s progress.

“Australia is falling short of what’s required to save the Reef,” said Richard Leck, WWF’s Campaign Director in Australia.

"The dismal scores highlight our grave concerns that UNESCO is going to have no option but to recommend the reef be put on its unenviable 'List of World Heritage in Danger' - the list of shame.

"The impact of that would be felt right throughout Queensland's economy, especially its Aus$6 billion (£3.9 billion) reef tourism industry. Australia's reputation is on the line."

However, Tony Burke, Australia's Environment Minister, told the AFP agency that the government was "absolutely committed" to protecting the reef.

He said the government had already invested Aus$200 million (£131 million) in a "Reef Rescue" programme and would provide an additional Aus$800,000 (£524,000) to fight the crown-of-thorns starfish which is decimating the reef.

He added that assessment reports on future planning were being conducted to determine "where sustainable development can occur, the type of development that will be allowed and the conditions under which development may proceed".

Mr Burke said: “We have made substantial progress in addressing the recommendations made by the World Heritage Committee, including agreement to conduct one of the most comprehensive strategic assessments ever undertaken in Australia.”

He added that the response highlighted Australia's "best practices in marine park management and confirms our willingness to share our expertise with other countries experiencing similar conservation issues".

UNESCO had been concerned that the number and scale of a wave of new proposals for projects such as liquefied natural gas, tourism and mining, due to increasing demand from Asia, could threaten the reef's status.

It said that declining water quality and climate change were also major issues and so it was "essential to reduce development and other pressures as much as possible to enable an increase in the reef's resilience".